"A Week With Windows 10"

    So, it's been one week since I updated my own PC from Windows 7 to Windows 10. As promised, I'm writing my thoughts and experiences with the new Windows so far. I may be late to the party since it's been out for over 4 months, but there's a reason for it. However, I will say since using 10 for a week, I will never go back to Windows 7.

    The reason was I ran into an issue with a very obscure program when I first upgraded back in September, and with the holidays, I didn't have time to reinstall the upgrade till now. This program is for my job, and it’s so obscure that unless you work alongside me, you will never hear about it. The issue was a simple setting, but I had to get it work within one night, so I went back to 7. Again, this is a very rare issue with any Windows, so don’t read this part and think you’ll have issues. Every major program, such as any major word processor, browser, etc works with no issues. It doesn’t hurt to double check with programs you use daily are compatible before updating. It’s easier to take the extra few minutes of research to save you hours of removing Windows 10.

    Anyway, if you haven't updated, the main thing I will stress is back up any critical files you can't replace. I've done the updates five times, and never ran into an issue. However, I made sure any files that can't be replaced were backed up. You're talking about a major software change, and there's always that chance things can happen. So, again, back up anything you can't replace before you start. Did I mention to back up any file you can’t afford to lose yet? For guidance, I wrote this handy guide. It talks about novel files, but same principle:


http://athlonrhythm.blogspot.com/2015/03/novel-back-up-ideas.html


    Now, the upgrade process I did most people won’t do. What I did was once I was 100% certain all my files were safe, I did what is called a factory reset of Windows 7. What this means in very simple terms is the software wipes the machine clean, and restores it to the day you took it out of the box. I always do something like on my own machines whenever I do major updates to Windows. The main reason is to remove any junk files or errors that built up over the past year, and makes it a new PC in the software sense. Once I got 7 restored, I started the update process to Windows 10.

    Once I had 10 up and running, I quickly noticed how smoother it is compared to 7. It actually boots faster, and responds much better. I also notice how much less space it takes. My Windows 7 used about 20GB of space, or 5 DVD’s roughly before installing anything.. Once I update 10, it barely used 10GB’s. After I got everything installed, still half the space: 40GB for 7 versus 20GB for 10. The last time Windows used this little of space was XP. Also, they finally brought back the Start Menu. It’s not as good as the one they had in XP / 7,but it sure beats the Start Screen they made for Windows 8.

    The other thing about 10 I love is it uses RAM much better and more efficiently than 7. The easiest way to describe RAM is think about like a physical desk, and every program you open uses RAM. Even a program as small as Notepad uses RAM. I will stress the ideal RAM for 7/8/10 is at least 4GB, but if you do a lot of work on a PC, 8GB is the ideal amount. Anyway, with 8GB of RAM on my system, I hardly notice any lag on 10 versus 7. I can switch through programs much more smoothly. Those two things alone have me convinced I will not go back to Windows 7 at all.

    Now, there’s been a few quirks and annoyances I don’t like. The first thing that irked me is how Windows components I used daily are buried in the Start Menu. You have to scroll to the very bottom to even find Paint. You have to click on All Apps, and go down to the W’s to find Notepad, Control Panel, Paint, and even Internet Explorer. To make it easier, I pinned them to the Start Menu by right clicking on the program, and then left clicking on Pin to Start. You can also open the program, right click on the icon in the Taskbar, and hit Pin to Taskbar. Again, to each their own. Below is how my Start Menu looks like after configuring it to my use (The black squares are work programs that I blocked out on purpose):

    Speaking of buried programs and other quirks, by default, Edge is the browser that you’ll first see whenever you install 10. This is the biggest thing people are complaining about. Here’s what it looks like:

    I’m going to be dead honest. I haven’t used it at all to give a solid opinion. However, there’s been issues with some sites while using Edge, but it’s a new program. Over time, those sites will catch up with Edge. However, If you run into this issue, try another browser. Worst case, Internet Explorer 11 is installed on 10 as well, but buried in the Start Menu down in the W’s. You can also access Internet Explorer by clicking on the three dots in the right corner, and selecting Open in Internet Explorer in the menu. One of these days, I may give it a more thorough try, but at the moment,  I mostly use it to download program updates. Far as which browser overall, I use Firefox myself, but it’s personal preference.



      My thought on Windows 10 is it's the best damn Windows they launched since 7. In fact, if it wasn't for Windows 10, I was at the point that if I didn't need Windows for work, I would have gone straight Linux. I'm highly impressed with Windows 10 so far,but as time goes on, who knows? If things change, I'll write an update, but I highly doubt it. If you haven't upgraded, and still debating, do some research, and even go to a local store and mess around with 10. I highly suggest making the switch, and done so for family and friends.